


You’ll Have To Teach Me That Song Someday

by DarkCellar



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren Fluff, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Funny, Gay Male Character, I Ship It, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Kissing, Kylux - Freeform, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, One True Pairing, Romantic Fluff, Senpai Notice Me, Shyness, Talking Animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-03-26 10:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19003717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkCellar/pseuds/DarkCellar
Summary: Ben Solo and Armitage Hux are third-year students at their local University. Both are intelligent, well-adjusted young men who have been friends since meeting during Freshman year.But Ben has a secret, one that he doesn’t know if he can hide any longer ... he’s absolutely, positively, 100% in love Hux.But being chronically shy when it comes to matters of the heart leaves Ben to keep their friendship exactly where it’s always been, instead of trying to evolve them to the next level.One weekend, however, an impromptu gig pet-sitting Hux’s beloved cat leads to a mind-blowing discovery ... and just might give Ben the push he needs, in making the redhead his.





	You’ll Have To Teach Me That Song Someday

Ben set the pink plastic carrier down on his couch with a sigh. It was Saturday afternoon, and, as promised, Ben had gone to his friend Hux’s house; to obtain the furry creature that now sat staring at Ben’s living room with what seemed like disdain.

Ben and Hux had known each other for about three years now, having met in a freshman psychology course during their first year at school. 

What started off as a casual acquaintance bloomed into a strong friendship for the two, and they had seen each other through many ups and downs for the past couple of years.

Yet despite how close they were, Ben had a secret. Something that had been eating him up for over a year, now:

Ben was head over heels in love with Hux.

And it was hilarious, in a way. Because in every other aspect of his life, Ben was a dynamic individual. Confident and outgoing. Charismatic. Tough as nails, and somewhat intimidating to those that crossed him the wrong way.

But with Hux ...

When he was around Hux, all of the coherent thoughts in his head seemed to float away. Although he did a fantastic job of hiding it, the reality was that Hux made him feel timid and awkward. He thought Hux to be the smartest, the funniest, the sweetest, the absolute most handsome person he had ever met in his life, and Ben often found himself completely overwhelmed by his mere presence.

And it didn’t help that Ben had _always_ been afflicted with shyness in the romance department, and therefore couldn’t think of a way to confess his feelings to Hux, without coming across as weird, or creepy.

So he compensated for this, by remaining as close as he could to the red-headed young man ... in a platonic way. Hanging out. Studying together. Attending campus functions.

And sometimes, doing favors for him.  
Like this.

_Yeah, I’m only gonna be gone the weekend. Some cousin I barely remember is getting married. I’ve gotta find a place to board Millicent for a few days. I can’t take her home with me; my dad is allergic to cats._

_**Well, hey; I’m gonna be here. I can take care of your cat for you.** _

_Really? That’d be great! You’re sure that’s not too much?_

_**Don’t worry, Hux, it’ll be fine. Your cat loves me.** _

But it sure didn’t look like love, right now. He had just come back from picking her up, and now he cautiously opened the door of her carrier, to let her out. She took a few steps around the room, her fierce eyes carefully inspecting her surroundings.

Although he felt ridiculous doing so, Ben decided to open his mouth and speak to her, to comfort any unease she might have.

“So you’re gonna be staying with me for the weekend,” he said, taking her food and water dishes out of the carry-on bag and taking the water dish to the kitchen sink, to fill it up. He brought it back in and set it carefully on the floor underneath the windowsill. “But don’t worry or anything; Hux will be back before you know it.”

_I know that. Both you and Master have communicated that to me at least 10 times today. I’m not an idiot._

Ben’s eyes widened, and the sick-sour taste of fear filled his mouth. He — he had just imagined that, right?

“Jeez, I must be kinda tired,” he said to himself, perhaps a bit louder than necessary. “There’s no fucking way that a CAT just —“

_Were you aware that swearing in the presence of guests in one’s home is considered to be rude?_

“Whoa! Holy shit-balls!”, Ben exclaimed. His foot came down in Millicent’s food dish, overturning it and sending hard little bits of food scattering all across the floor. “Oh my God, am I crazy? Have I lost it?!”

A pause, and then, very clearly, 

_If you’re referring to your mental faculties, I would argue that you don’t have much to ‘lose’ to begin with._

Ben sat down, hard, on the floor. Part of him was terrified, thinking that he had indeed had a psychotic break of some kind in his mind. But the other half was ... curious.

“I-I’m sorry,” he said, in a low, shaky voice. “But am I just dreaming? Or are you really TALKING to me? How is this possible? You’re a freakin’ CAT!”

 _My species is more intelligent than you give us credit for, human. I wish I could say the same for yours._ Millicent answered, twitching her nose in displeasure.

Ben took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. Millicent sat still on her perch atop the couch, watching him.

“D-does, does Hux know, you can talk?”

Millicent slightly shook her head, her tail swishing back and forth. 

_I have tried many times to converse with my Master, but he does not seem to be able to understand me. Frankly, I am surprised that YOU understand, but I am glad that you are able. I need to speak with you on an important matter._

“Really?”, Ben asked, surprised. What in the world could Hux’s cat possibly have to talk to him about? “What is it?”

_I’ve taken notice of you for some time, now, human. You are different from the others that I’ve seen visit my Master’s home. My Master seems to have taken a liking to you._

“What do you mean? Like, how we’re friends?”

_No. When you are near him, his body temperature rises and his heart rate accelerates. There is also a significant change in mood, with him becoming forlorn and somewhat withdrawn, when you leave. I believe these things to be indications that my Master harbors romantic feelings for you._

Ben’s mouth dropped open, and his heart started to thump.

“Really? Are you sure?”

_Mm. Animals always sense these things, whereas humans such as yourself choose to keep yourselves willfully ignorant of the truth._

“You know, you’ve got a lot of bad shit to say about humans. Are you a bit prejudiced towards my species, or what?”

_Perhaps. But you can hardly blame me. When it comes to animals, all your kind knows is to hurt, to scare, to dominate. To throw things and make loud noises. To chase away from warmth and comfort._

“Well, some humans are like that, yeah. But not ALL. Hux isn’t like that, is he?”

_You speak true. MY human is a savior; he took me in when I was lost, he filled my stomach, he gave me a warm place to sleep. When the sky makes the loud wet noises, he pets me until I feel comforted. I am forever in his debt ... which is why I decided to speak to YOU, human._

“Why me?”

_As I’ve said earlier, I believe my human has feelings for you. However, he is what I’ve come to understand as being ‘shy’. Observing your habits, and considering that you seemed to have no idea about my Master’s true feelings towards you, I would wager that YOU are ‘shy’ as well. Therefore, I’d like to help you. If I can successfully mate the two of you, and help my Master achieve happiness, I will have repaid my debt._

Ben sighed and, deciding it was safe enough, got off of the floor and sat down cautiously on the couch next to the cat.

“I don’t think that will work, er, Millicent. Getting with someone as a human can be complicated. And there’s always the chance that I could end up saying or doing something wrong, and then Hux could hate me and we wouldn’t even be _friends_ anymore.”

_Your statement indicates that you are more of a match for Master than I’d imagined. My Master, too, has a tendency to ‘overthink’ everything. You are both very much alike._

She jumped down to the couch and went to her water dish, taking a few sips. She wrinkled up her face and turned to Ben, saying,

_Human, this is unacceptable. Master gives me water from a bottle, not the sink._

Ben stood up and quickly retrieved the dish, going into his refrigerator for bottled water. Right before he was going to pour it, Millicent asked,

_Is that water cold?_

“Uh, yep. Nice and cold.”

_That will not do, human. My delicate stomach cannot handle liquids that are overtly hot or cold. It has to be room temperature._

Ben sighed and left the dish and bottle sitting atop the table. “Okay, I’ll leave it out for a while. Anything else?”

_For my evening meal, Master gives me tuna. I prefer the sort packed in fresh water, not oil. He cuts each piece into tiny pieces and lays them flat on a plate for me. A REAL plate, mind you, not a plastic or paper one. It affects the taste adversely if served on such._

“What? Hux never mentioned all that!”

_Master can be a bit forgetful when his mind is occupied with other things, such as his trip. But fear not; I will rectify his mistakes and guide you through this. I am sure we will get along splendidly until Master returns, at which time, I shall help you to properly court him._

Ben plopped back down on the couch, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Bad enough that he was having this crazy hallucination, but now the cat was turning out to be a bit of a diva, as well?

As if to prove him wrong, Millicent jumped into his lap and settled herself down, tilting her head up at him. 

_You seem distressed, human. You may stroke my fur; I find it brings my Master a sense of peace and calm, to do so._

So Ben did. He sat and gently petted the sleek orange cat, humming a bit to himself as he did do. Eventually, the quiet, the warmth of the small body in his lap, and the excitement of the last hour had his eyes drooping lower, and lower, and —

The next thing Ben knew, he was opening his eyes, looking around himself in a daze. Millicent was no longer with him, and his lap felt slightly chilly.

What had happened?  
Had he fallen asleep?

“I knew I was too tired today,” he said to himself, standing and stretching . “Shit, though, that was a crazy dream! To think that Hux’s cat would be TALKING to —

 _Human?_ , came a small voice from near his bedroom, startling him. _Have you woken from your slumber? I am ready for my evening meal!_

— - —

“So how was it?”, Ben asked, once they had finished carrying Hux’s bags up to his apartment.

It was Sunday night, and Hux had called up Ben at around 8:30, saying he was back in town. Ben drove over with Millicent and her things, in order to meet Hux when he arrived and help him bring his stuff back in.

Now, finally settled, Hux leaned down and unhooked the door of the carrier case, letting the cat free.

“Oh, you know; weddings are kinda boring. But I got to see some cousins that I haven’t seen in a while, so I guess it was worthwhile.”

He turned his attention to Millicent, who was rubbing anxiously against his legs, seeking his attention.

“Aww, look at my Milly-baby!”, Hux crooned, scooping her up and hugging her to his chest. Millicent purred for him and flicked out her tongue to lick his chin. “Did you miss me? I sure missed you!”

Ben looked on, embarrassed that he was feeling a bit jealous of the attention Hux gave the feline. But then Hux gently put her down, turned to Ben, and said,

“I missed you, too. Thank you so much for taking care of my baby while I was gone.”

He embraced Ben, and Ben almost swooned, at the feeling of Hux’s arms around him. Hux had never hugged him before, and it was so unexpected now that Ben hadn’t had time to prepare himself.

_**Oh my God ... has he always smelled so good?? And he said he MISSED me? Gah!** _

When Hux let him go, Ben almost wanted to cry, he was so disappointed.

“So my aunt made me a bunch of food to bring back with me, Hux said, kneeling on the floor in front of one of his bags. “It’s funny; my family’s Irish but ever since she married that Italian man, their food is a crazy-good blend of stuff. Look; I’ve got corned beef and cabbage, veal Parmesan, ham and pea soup, pasta with sausage and peppers, and fettuccine alfredo,” Hux told him, pulling several large, wrapped containers from the bag.

“Jeez; all that for just you?”

Hux shook his head and smiled. “Of course not; my dear friend is going to come over every night and eat with me until the food is gone, isn’t he?”

Ben grinned, feeling elated. For the first time in his life, he planned to eat as little as possible, in order to make everything LAST as long as possible. 

“Sounds good. After all, what are friends for?”

Hux took the containers into the kitchen and placed them carefully into his fridge. Then he came back out and grabbed the handle of his larger suitcase, saying,

“I’m going to go unpack my things. But don’t leave. Find a movie or something, and when I’m done, I’ll heat us up one of the containers for dinner.”

Ben nodded, settling back on the couch and picking up the remote. “Okay; Milly and I will just wait for you.”

Hux smiled at the two of them, sitting side by side on the couch. 

“Looks like you two are close now, huh? Well, that’s good. Remind me to take a picture later; it’d make a cute background on my phone.”

He went into his bedroom, and Ben let out a sigh of relief. Hux saying all these things had his body feeling funny (a cross between fainting, crying, and singing) and he needed Hux to stop looking at him so he could go back to normal.

_You found his scent to be pleasing, did you not, human?_

“How did you know that?”, Ben asked, whispering so that Hux wouldn’t hear him talking to Millicent.

_When Master placed his arms around you, your nostrils widened, as did your pupils, and your lips curved into a smile. You should tell him that you find his scent to be appealing. Remember what we discussed, about giving compliments._

Ben nodded and, taking a deep breath, called out, “Hey, Hux?”

Hux poked his head out of the door. “Yeah?”

Gulping, and trying not to hyperventilate, Ben said, as calmly as possible,

“Um, I just wanted to say ... I wanted to say ... well, you smell REALLY nice today.”

Hux’s surprise was evident on his face, and Ben was pleased that Hux’s cheeks had turned just the slightest shade of pink.

“Thank you! You know you don’t smell so bad yourself,” he said, before going back into his bedroom.

When he was out of sight, Millicent said, _Good. Very good. Now get in there and initiate copulation._

“You mean **sex**?”, he whispered in a panic. “Are you kidding? It ... it doesn’t work like that with humans! You have to build a relationship and a trust, and a bunch of things, before you jump right into sex! We haven’t even been on a date, yet!”

_A ... date? What is a date?_

“A date is where you and the other person go and do activities together, to talk and spend time with each other. Sometimes it’s movies, sometimes it’s eating, you know, stuff like that.”

_Hm. It would appear that human mating rituals are more complicated than I expected. However, this won’t be a problem. Today, you shall invite him to participate in a ‘date’ with you._

“Oh, yeah, right!”, Ben said, throwing up his hands. “Like I haven’t been trying to work up the nerve to ask him out for months!”

_Fear not, for I shall guide you, human. I happen to know that Master is very interested in a something called an ‘exhibit’, of a place called a ‘botanical garden’, where he is interested in seeing something referred to as a ‘butterfly house’. Perhaps you may ask him to accompany you to this place?_

Ben blinked, surprised. He had had no clue that Hux wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens; he’d never talked about such a thing as being an interest before.

“Are you sure?”

_I am sure. Every evening for a long time, Master watches moving pictures on the thing he holds in his hand. I have heard the words ‘Botanical Garden’ and ‘Butterfly Exhibit’ many times. Therefore I believe he is interested in going._

At that moment, Hux came back out of the bedroom, and said, “Okay, I’m done. Now which one of those things should I make us first?”

“They all sound like mouth-orgasms. Surprise me.”

Hux walked off into the kitchen, humming.

“Okay, Milly; help me out here. Can I please pick you up and carry you into the kitchen? It’ll make me feel less awkward if you’re around, when I try to ask him out.”

Millicent sighed and reluctantly stood up. _If it helps_ , she consented, as Ben gently lifted her up and put her into his arms. He walked into the kitchen just as Hux was closing the oven door; apparently he had chosen the veal parmesan as their dinner.

“This’ll take about 20 minutes to heat up,” Hux explained, going back to the fridge. “You want something to drink?”

“Actually, I came out here to feed Milly,” Ben said, gesturing to the cat in his arms. “It’s kinda past her dinner time too, right? Freshwater tuna fish, cut into small pieces, served on a real plate.”

Hux tilted his head and looked closely at Ben.

“That’s funny,” he said, slowly, “The day I left, I was in the car thinking about whether I’d remembered to TELL you that, about Millicent’s dinner. I was in such a hurry that I could swear that I never did.”

 _ **Shit**_ , Ben thought to himself, resisting the urge to smack himself in the head. _**I’d better lie; there’s no way I can stand here and tell him that the cat herself was the one who told me.**_

“Um, yeah, you did,” Ben said smoothly, setting Millicent down gently on the floor. He walked to the cabinet and found a can of tuna, then a can opener. He sat down in a chair to open it, hoping that he wasn’t sweating with his lie. “But like you said, you were in a hurry, so you probably just don’t remember.”

“Hm, I guess.”

Ben got the can open and stood up to drain out the excess water into the sink. He then found a plate and dumped the mass onto it, using a fork to break it into small pieces.

He set the plate on the floor, and Millicent went to it right away, purring. Her happy sounds stopped when Ben reached down and began stroking behind her ears while she ate.

_Please do not do that, human. Being touched while you eat is an unpleasant sensation for cats._

“Look, just deal with it, okay? I’m nervous and need something to distract me!”

“Huh?”, Hux asked, turning around from where he was peeking into the oven. “Are you talking to me?”

“Oh, uh, no,” Ben replied, sheepishly. “Just singing to myself.”

Hux brought over a can of soda and set it down in front of Ben, still giving him that odd look before taking a chair across from him.

“Do you feel okay tonight? You’re acting a little strange.”

“I’m fine as sunshine “ Ben replied, chuckling nervously. Then he took a deep breath and went on,

“Speaking of sunshine, though ... you know next Saturday it’s supposed to climb into the 70’s? And be SUNNY, for a change?”

Hux nodded. “I heard, yeah. That’ll be nice, after all this rain.”

“Yeah, it will. So, um, on Saturday ... did you have anything that you were doing?”

“Not that I know of. Why?”

_His heart rate is accelerating, human. His breathing has also picked up a pace. Now is the time; move in for your kill._

“Well, the thing is ... I thought maybe I’d go to the Botanical Gardens on Saturday. S-since it’ll be sunny and all. And um, I heard they opened this new thing called a butterfly house, or something? I think THAT would be really cool to see. So um ... if you had no plans ... would you want to go with me?”

The look of surprise and delight on Hux’s face was cute enough to nearly make Ben pass out right then and there, and he subtly stopped petting Millicent to grip onto the table, to attempt to keep himself upright.

“Yes! I’d love that! That’s really funny; I’ve been dying to go see the butterfly house but no one ever wants to go with me. How did you know I’ve been wanting to see it?”

“Ah ... a little birdie told me.”

_A ‘birdie’? A BIRD?! You dare compare my feline superiority to those flying, germ-carrying rodents?!_

“Relax; it’s just an expression. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“You ... what?”

“Oh, nothing. Just singing again. But good, you want to go. It’s a date, then.”

He had used that word purposely, ‘date’, to gauge Hux’s reaction to such a concept. Likely he would think it just another expression, and not think that Ben SERIOUSLY meant, a **date**. 

But before Ben could properly study Hux’s face, the timer on the oven dinged, and Hux got up to take out the food.

“This looks so good,” Hux said, as he set the veal down on the table between them. As he turned to get plates and utensils, he continued, “Hey, the Botanical Gardens are something like, 2 miles of walking, I’ve heard. That’ll be perfect, considering we’re both probably gonna gain some serious weight before this week is over.”

_Hm, actually, Master could stand to gain a few pounds. He is rather thin for a human male of his age and height._

“Eh, maybe; but I like him anyway. I think he’s perfect.”

“What was that?”, Hux asked him, as he sat back down with the plates.

“Oh, uh —“

“Just singing to yourself again?”, Hux asked, a smile on his face.

“Something like that.”

“You’ll have to teach me that song some day,” Hux said, cutting into the food. “But for now, let’s dig in.”

— - — 

“Let’s go there and eat,” Ben said, pointing.

“What?”

“Let’s go have dinner. It’s on me.”

“I can’t let you do that, Ben. You already paid for the Gardens; you don’t have to —“

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Hux. Ah, it’s just, you’ve been feeding ME all week. Now it’s my turn to feed you.”

“Well, when you put it that way ... okay. I accept.”

It was late Saturday afternoon, dipping into early evening, and Ben and Hux were on their way home from the Botanical Gardens. The day had been even lovelier than the weather forecast had predicted, and both of them had had a fabulous time in the outdoor paradise.

Ben had driven them in his car, and, as they rode along talking, Ben realized that he wasn’t quite ready for their day to end.

And now here they were, at a small seafood restaurant that Ben had spotted earlier, while driving to the Gardens. It was small and quaint, with multiple large fish tanks, soft lighting, candles, and wooden tables and chairs to lend the place a sort of aquatic feel.

“It’s pretty in here,” Hux said, as he sat down across from Ben.

 _ **YOU’RE pretty in here**_ , Ben thought to himself, biting his lower lip. _**You’re pretty everywhere, all the time. I wish I knew how to tell you that.**_

The waitress came up and asked for their drink order. Ben, having seen Hux’s favorite kind of wine on the menu, ordered two glasses of that for them.

“Wine?”, Hux asked, smiling. “That’s pretty fancy, Ben. But you know I’m a light-weight; you trying to get me drunk, take advantage of me?”

Ben’s face flushed, and it took him a few moments to realize that Hux was teasing him.

“That’s totally what’s happening here, Hux,” Ben replied back, smirking. “Tell me, how many glasses will it take to get you into the backseat of my car?”

_**Oh shit I can’t believe I said that. It’s like I’m flirting with him! Gah!** _

“Well, that depends; if you mean for me to be laying back there passed out/puking, then probably the whole bottle. If you mean for OTHER things ...”

“No, no, I was just kidding,” Ben said in a hurry. The vibe between them had gotten so strong in those few seconds that it had overwhelmed him.

But Hux ... he almost, ALMOST seemed disappointed, that Ben hadn’t kept up the teasing charade a bit longer. Before he could say anything, the waitress came back with their wine. She uncorked the bottle and poured them each a glass.

When she left, Hux lifted up his glass and said, “How about a toast? To ... to a successful day of being loved by butterflies?”

Ben lifted up his own glass and clinked it gently with Hux’s. 

“They really loved you, not me,” Ben said, taking a sip. “I don’t think a single one landed on me. But you were fairly covered.”

And it had been a beautiful sight. Hux, his beautifully pale skin offset by the dark gray and black he was wearing, standing in the sunny warm tent, with butterflies every color of the rainbow glittering and fluttering onto his shoulders, his arms, his face, and everywhere else imaginable.

Ben had taken so many pictures of Hux today that he was a little embarrassed of himself. Hux walking, Hux smelling different flowers, the butterflies, Hux standing and gazing out at the Garden’s man-made waterfall and lake ...

But his favorite-favorite photo, one that he would likely make the screensaver on his phone, was a picture that he’d asked someone to take of the two of them. In it, they were sitting on a wrought-iron bench in front of a giant weeping willow tree. They were leaning close to each other, each smiling, and Hux was making rabbit-ears behind Ben’s head.

 _ **You’re ridiculously in love with this guy,**_ Ben thought to himself, watching as Hux dipped at his wine. _**Tell him that! Geez, stop being a baby and just tell him already!**_

“So, Hux ... I don’t really know how to say this, so I’m just gonna come right out and say it. Okay?”

Hux put down his glass, straightening up in his seat. “Is something wrong?”

Ben quickly shook his head. “No, nothing’s wrong. Not exactly. It’s just ... Hux, we’ve known each other for about three years now, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I know that relatively speaking, 3 years isn’t that long of a time. But I feel like in this case, it kinda is. I’m really glad that I met you freshman year, and that we’re friends. In fact, I’d go out on a limb here and say that I consider you one of my BEST friends.”

Hux smiled, although his shoulders were still a bit tense. “That’s really nice, Ben. I think of you like that, too.”

“Good.”

Here Ben paused, stuck, not really knowing how to proceed. He could feel that he was blushing, and hoped that this didn’t make him look stupid to Hux. Hux was sitting patiently, sipping at his drink, watching Ben.

“Okay,” Ben continued, finally. “The thing is ... Hux, I, um, I really ... I’m really in ... love ... with your hair.”

“My ... hair?”

Ben nodded, feeling ashamed that he had chickened out at the last second, and aware that his light blush had turned into a forest fire on his face.

“Yeah. You really need to let me in on your shampoo and treatment routine, so I can get mine looking like yours.”

**_You chickenshit bastard. His hair? You said you’re in love WITH HIS HAIR?! Pathetic!_ **

“Uh, thank you, Ben. But ... are you feeling alright? Do you want to skip this, and go lay down somewhere? You look like you’re about to be sick.”

Ben sighed and shook his head, feeling miserable. He couldn’t go through with this, at least not today.

“I’m okay,” he said, picking his menu back up and holding it in front of his flaming face. “Think I’m just a little light-headed because I’m hungry. What should we order?”

— - —

_Human, I cannot continue to help you if you continue to be an idiot._

“I’m not an idiot. And stop calling me ‘human’! Geez, I don’t call YOU ‘cat’, do I?”

_Now is hardly the time to concern ourselves with formalities, human. For goodness sake, I gave you a detailed outline of how to approach Master and secure a romantic relationship. Why did you not listen to what I said?_

It was Tuesday evening, around 6pm, and Ben was over at Hux’s once more, as the latter had asked him if he’d wanted to come watch the baseball game with him. When Ben had arrived, Hux, who had been in the middle of making tea, accidentally spilled his jar of honey all over his clothes. Very quickly his hands and arms became sticky, and he told Ben to wait while he went to take a quick shower, to get it off of him. Now Ben was sitting on the couch and shamefully telling Millicent about his failure at the restaurant the other night.

“It’s different, you know, saying those things TO him, instead of practicing them on you. Hux ... I look at him and it’s like my whole body bursts into explosions. Sometimes I feel so nervous standing next to him, being near him, that I can hardly even _breathe_. I can’t bear the thought of him maybe being with somebody else, but dammit, I’m terrified to try and make a move. I know you say he has feelings for me, too ... but what if —“

 _That’s quite enough, human,_ Millicent interrupted, licking her paw. _Goodness, do you always think so much about everything? This is another of the differences between my species and yours: animals don’t ‘think’ about securing their mate, they simply reach out and take them. If you don’t reach out and take Master, somebody else may do so instead._

“Nobody could make your Master happy like I could. Nobody could _love_ Hux the way I do.”

“If that is the case, then prove it. Go after him. Be aggressive.”

“But I don’t —“

At that moment Hux came out of the bathroom. He was wearing his robe, and had a towel wrapped around his head.

 _ **He looks so cute I feel like I’m about to catch a nosebleed,**_ Ben thought to himself, sighing.

“Sorry that took so long, but honey is a bitch to get off of your skin.”

Taking a deep breath, Ben put on a ‘charming’ smile, and said, coyly, “You know there’s other ways to get honey off skin, than showering.”

“Yeah? How?”, Hux asked, as he sat down beside him.

**_Say it, just SAY it, make eye contact, and don’t lose the momentum._ **

“With the tongue, of course. Licking honey off of skin sounds like a really sweet way to spend an afternoon, don’t you —“

 _Stop, stop, STOP!_ Millicent practically shouted from by the window. _Goodness, I didn’t mean for you to get vulgar with him!_

“What? Who in the hell would want to lick honey off of my skin, Ben?”

“M ... Millicent?” Ben offered, nearly dying at how close he had come to saying ‘me’.

Hux burst into laughter, then took his towel and swatted it into Ben’s face, playfully. “I highly doubt that, Ben. Plus I think honey might be dangerous for animals.”

Ben just shrugged and closed his eyes, feeling extremely annoyed with himself.

“The game starts in a few minutes, right?”, he asked Hux, changing the subject.

“Oh, right. Hold on, let me go get some drinks and snacks,” Hux said, handing Ben the remote before he went into the kitchen. “Turn it on; I think it’s channel 9 or 12.”

When he was gone, Millicent stalked up to the couch and, swishing her tail angrily, said,

_Millicent? MILLICENT wants to lick honey from Master’s skin? You dare bring ME into your perversion?!_

“I’m sorry! I panicked!”

_Hmph. A word of warning; keep your shoes on, Human. With the way I’m feeling, I’m liable to leave you a ‘surprise’ in one of them before you leave._

— - —

“Hey.”

“Oh, hey,” Hux said, looking up in surprise. It was Sunday afternoon and he was in the school’s library, trying to finish up a paper. He had been so focused that he hadn’t even noticed Ben until he was standing right over him. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you, actually. I texted you but you didn’t answer, then I remembered you saying that you might be here later.”

Ben looked around; the library was closing in a little under an hour, and there weren’t that many students in here, so it was okay for them to talk in a low normal voice, rather than whispers.

“Why were you looking for me?”, Hux asked, sticking a bookmark into the reference book he was using, to give Ben his full attention.

“Next Saturday, I was thinking of going to the city aquarium. They just opened an interactive dolphin room, where you can put on wetsuits and swim with them, and I want to try it out. You wanna go with me?”

“Aw, that sounds like a blast. I can’t on Saturday, though.”

“Why not? You have a hot date or something?”, Ben asked, teasing him.

“Actually ... yeah. Kind of.”

Ben’s mouth dropped open, and it took him a few moments to recover enough to say, “Really?”

Hux nodded, his cheeks turning pink. “Well, maybe it’s not a date. You know that guy in my Anthropology class, Dameron? The one who was at my place last week to work on that project with me?”

Ben nodded.

“He asked if I wanted to go to the movies on Saturday. I mean, he didn’t really specify that it was a date-date, but I kinda got that impression. Or, shit, maybe I’m wrong, here. Who the fuck would want to _date_ my soulless ginger ass?”

Ben forced a smile and reached over, patting Hux’s hand. “Well ... well, whether it’s a date-date or not, I’m sure you’ll have fun. Rain check on the dolphin thing, then?”

“Of course.”

Ben stood up. “Okay, then; I really should get going. Lots of homework I’ve been putting off all week. I’ll talk to you later, huh?”

“Hey, wait. Do you want to come to my place, when I’m done here? I can help you with your stuff. Plus we can have some snacks, maybe watch —“

“No, no, thats okay. I’m a little tired today,” Ben said, quickly turning and walking away. “Talk to you later.”

Hux stared after him, feeling a raw ache in the pit of his stomach. Ben had seemed strange, when Hux told him about Dameron. Almost ... upset.

But _why_?

— - —

“Hey, I’m here,” Hux called out, letting himself in the unlocked door. It was Saturday afternoon, and Hux had stopped by Ben’s apartment, at Ben’s heavy instistence, before Hux went to the movies with Dameron later that evening.

The week had been a strange one. Every time that Hux had tried to invite Ben over to do something with him, to hang out, Ben rejected him. Whereas before he answered Hux’s texts within a few minutes, this week, Hux would be lucky if he answered at all. Hux hasn’t even seen him around his usual haunts along the campus. 

So he was a bit relieved when Ben contacted him today, and he practically rushed over to go see him.

Ben came out of his bedroom, and Hux took a step back, shocked. 

“Oh my God, what happened?!”, Hux exclaimed, going to him and grabbing Ben’s arm. “Are you okay? You look awful!”

Ben was wearing ragged pajamas, and his skin was several times more pale than normal. He had scarily dark circles under both eyes, as if he hadn’t slept in days. His normally clean-shaven face was sporting some hard stubble, and he didn’t look as if he had eaten all week.

“I’m okay, I’m fine. Sorry, I know you’re busy today, but I just really needed to talk to you.”

Hux pulled Ben to the couch and forced him to sit, before throwing his arms around him. “It’s okay,” he said, soothingly, patting Ben’s back. “Whatever’s wrong we can fix it, okay?”

But Ben pulled out of Hux’s embrace, took a deep breath, and said, 

“First of all, I apologize. But you’re not going to see that movie with Dameron tonight.”

“Huh?”

“I got his phone number through a friend, I called, and talked with him. I told him you couldn’t go out with him tonight. He was very understanding.”

“Ben ... what are you taking about? Why did you do that?”

“I talked with him, Hux. Did you know he WAS considering tonight to be a ‘date’? That he was under the impression he’d asked you out, not as a friend?”

“Well ... yeah. I knew that. But again, why would you —“

“Because ... because I’m in love with you, Armitage.”

Hux’s jaw dropped, his eyes eating up his face.

“What?”

“I’m in love with you. I have been for over a year. And, I can’t watch you go out with Dameron. Or anyone else, for that matter. Because it would literally kill me.”

“Are you teasing me right now? Or are you being serious? Because I really can’t tell, Ben, and I’ve gotta be honest, I’m freaking out a little.”

Ben sat beside him, and, taking a chance, reached out and gently took Hux’s hands into his. Hux didn’t pull away, as Ben feared he might, which gave Ben courage to press on with his confession.

“I’m not kidding,” he said, softly. “I’ve spent all week telling myself to just let you go out with Dameron. That he was bold enough to make a move, so he deserved you. But today came and ... Hux. I’m so in love with you that I can hardly breathe. And ... shit, okay, I made a huge mistake, calling Dameron like that. Because that’s not the kind of relationship I want, where I’m being manipulative and not giving you a choice. But I panicked, because the thought of losing you before I even HAVE you made me sick to my stomach. But I DO want a relationship with you. I want to be your boyfriend, and I want to be the BEST one EVER to you.”

After Ben finished speaking, Hux went quiet for a long time. He was so quiet and so still that Ben began to be afraid, that he had gone way too far. Without being aware that he was going to do so, he started to cry, tears flooding his face.

“Fuck ... I’m sorry! Please don’t hate me, Hux! Please don’t —“

Hux leaned over and took Ben’s face between his hands. Softly, he pressed his lips underneath each of Ben’s streaming eyes, kissing away his tears. Then he pulled Ben forward and, closing his eyes, he kissed his lips.

Fresh tears poured out, this time from both of them. It was unclear, who stopped crying first. It was unclear, who stopped kissing first.

The aftermath was still the same; afterwards, they were holding each others’ hands, and smiling.

“I’m so happy you finally told me, Ben,” Hux murmured, reaching out and touching his cheek. “And, if I’m telling the truth, I was going to call Dameron and cancel anyway. Because dammit if I’m not in love with you, too.”

“R-really?!”

Hux nodded.

“Don’t laugh, but, Millicent was actually the one who made me realize it.”

“Millicent?”, Ben asked in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Whenever you come over, when you leave, she acts funny. She paces around, she won’t play with her toys, and she acts annoyed if I try to pet her or cuddle her. Like, restless, I guess. And sad. But she doesn’t act like that when anybody else leaves, only YOU. It took me a while but then I realized that she acts like that ... because she’s imitating ME. That I act annoyed and restless, and sad, when you leave, but I don’t feel that way with anyone else. That’s gotta mean SOMETHING, right?”

Ben gently tugged on Hux’s hands, pulling him into another kiss.

“You ever feel so happy that you’re afraid you might accidentally die?”, Ben asked him, teasing.

“You can’t die yet, Solo. You owe me.”

“I do?”

“Yeah. That movie Dameron was taking me to, I’ve been wanting to see it for awhile. Now that you’re my boyfriend, it’s your obligation to take me on that date.”

Ben laughed and then threw his arms around Hux, squeezing. “That sounds fair. I’ll get my coat.”

“Your coat? No, no. First you’re going to ‘get’ a shower. Then a razor. THEN your coat. And then you’re going to let me take you to dinner, so you can get some food in you. Then, the movie.”

“Before we do all that ... can I ‘get’ another kiss?”

Hux grinned and kissed him, before pushing him towards the direction of his bathroom.

“Go. I’ll be waiting.”

— - —

_Master has seemed much happier than usual, yet I have not seen you here very much recently. Has your romantic liaison faltered?_

It was some time later, early winter, and Ben had arrived at Hux’s apartment a little after sunset. It was Saturday night, their official/unofficial movie night. Hux had left the door unlocked, as he was in the shower, and Ben sat on the couch to speak with Millicent.

“Nope,” Ben replied, smiling. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Hux has just been spending some time at MY place, for a change.”

_Have you copulated yet?_

Ben blushed and he lowered his head. “That’s a REALLY personal question to be asking, Millicent.”

_Judging from your embarrassed reaction, you HAVE. That’s good; now my mind can be at ease. Master has been bounded to his mate._

“Again, it doesn’t quite work like that for humans. Sex alone is NOT necessarily a symbol of a permanent commitment to another person, you know.”

_Then what is?_

“Well, normally that would be the ultimate step ... marriage. Do you know what marriage is?”

_I do. Master leaves the tv on while he is away, and I have seen many programs of humans engaging in what is called a “wedding”. That is marriage, correct?_

“Not entirely. It starts out with one person asking the other to marry them. Usually the one being asked is given a ring. Then there’s a wedding, then AFTER is marriage. It’s ... I don’t know. You share things. You cry together. Sometimes you have kids together. Like that.”

_Mm. So, are your intentions to ask Master to marriage with you?_

“Ask Hux to marry me? Geez, Millicent, slow down. We’ve only been dating for ... for ...”

_By my estimation, a little over half of a year._

“Really? It doesn’t feel like that at all! Well, you know, Milly —“

_Millicent._

“Millicent. There is another step that some people take before getting married; it’s called Moving In Together. It would mean Hux and I would live with each other. Whether here, or my place, or somewhere new. But it wouldn’t just be us, it would be you, too. Would you be okay with something like that? If I were to ask him?”

_Hm. If we took up residence somewhere not here, would my possessions come along?_

“Of course. Hell, you’ve been such a good friend to me, I’ll even get you a brand new scratching post. One of those tall ones that you can climb.”

_Then we have a deal, human. I look forward to living with you._

“Me, too,” Ben said, scratching behind Millicent’s ear. At that moment Hux came out of the bathroom, dressed, rubbing a towel over his head.

“Hey,” he said, leaning over the back of the couch to kiss Ben. “Who are you talking to?”

“Milly ... er, _Millicent_ , of course.”

“Ah. Anyway, I was thinking, you wanna go pick up a pizza real quick, for the movies?”

“That sounds good. Okay, I’ll go warm up the car,” Ben said, giving Millicent a final scratch before going standing. He started to walk out the door, stopped, came back, grabbed Hux around the waist and gently backed him against the wall, kissing him passionately.

“Mmmm,” Hux breathed, when Ben released him. “What was that for?”

“Goodbye kiss.”

“But ... you’re just going to the car. I’ll see you in literally a few minutes.”

Ben kissed him again, softly. “Doesn’t matter. A few minutes without you is an eternity.”

He gave Hux one final smooch before finally walking out the door, whistling on his way down the stairs.

When he left, Hux went to the couch and gently scratched under the cat’s chin. 

“He’s pretty amazing, isn’t he?”, he asked her, smiling. “He loves me so much, and he treats me like a king. And he seems to love _you_ a lot as well. That’s good. Makes me feel more confident about what I plan to do tonight.”

He went and pulled on his coat, blowing a kiss to Millicent on his way out. She waited a few seconds, then stood up, arching her back and stretching.

 _Maybe I should have told the Human about Master’s intentions,_ Millicent thought to herself, settling down in her favorite warm spot by the heating vent. _That shiny thing in the soft box that Master showed me; I believe that is the “ring” that Human told me of earlier, when explaining marriage. I am sure that the ring means we will all be living together regardless, so there is no need for Human, no, for Ben, to ask._

She yawned and closed her eyes, letting out a contented little sigh.

_Ah, well ... so long as I get that scratching post —_


End file.
